Issue 5, 2023

Unveiling the influence of Fe2O3 nanoparticles on CuxO–TiO2(B) nanofibers for dual Z-scheme electron transfer visible light photocatalysts: investigation on local atomic structures and electronic properties

Abstract

Although solar-driven hydrogen production and recalcitrant pollutant degradation are appealing technologies, the photocatalytic efficiency for most reactions is limited by insufficient visible-light harvesting ability and restricted charge transfer pathways. To tackle these obstacles, we designed novel photocatalyst Fe2O3/CuxO/TiO2(B) nanofibers (namely, CFTNF-y) via an in situ photodeposition strategy. The effects of the CuxO nanoparticle concentration on TiO2(B) nanofibers (CTNF-x) were investigated, and the optimized catalyst was compared to other synthesized catalysts via a chemical reduction strategy (CTNF-x (NS)). The formation of Fe2O3/CuxO nanoparticles on the TiO2(B) nanofiber (TNF) surface in CFTNF-y nanocomposites was confirmed by HAADF-STEM, elemental mapping, XRF, XPS, XANES and EXAFS results. The CFTNF-y nanocomposites demonstrated a significantly enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of 65.82 μmol g−1 h−1 under UV-visible light irradiation, which was 12-fold higher than that of pristine TNF. Moreover, the CFTNF-y nanocomposites exhibited a photocatalytic trimethoprim (TMP, a model antibiotic contaminant) removal rate of 0.1 mM g−1 min−1. These excellent photocatalytic performances can be attributed to the uniform distribution of size-controlled Fe2O3/CuxO nanoparticles on the TNF surface, improved light-harvesting ability in the visible region and a remarkable charge carrier separation/transfer rate realized via a dual-Z-scheme heterojunction mediated by an interfacial electric field. This assertion is supported by morphology analysis, ERDT/CBB by RDB-PAS, radical trapping experiments, and photoelectrochemical studies. Moreover, a plausible TMP photodegradation pathway over CFTNF-y nanocomposites is proposed based on LC-MS/MS analysis. The present work highlights a novel approach for the development of a dual-Z-scheme photocatalyst with interfacial charge transfer for achieving efficient photocatalytic performance.

Graphical abstract: Unveiling the influence of Fe2O3 nanoparticles on CuxO–TiO2(B) nanofibers for dual Z-scheme electron transfer visible light photocatalysts: investigation on local atomic structures and electronic properties

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 janv. 2023
Accepted
17 mars 2023
First published
20 mars 2023

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2023,10, 1268-1283

Unveiling the influence of Fe2O3 nanoparticles on CuxO–TiO2(B) nanofibers for dual Z-scheme electron transfer visible light photocatalysts: investigation on local atomic structures and electronic properties

M. Preeyanghaa, C. Chuaicham, S. Shenoy, B. Vellaichamy, W. Li, K. Manokaran, E. Varathan, B. Neppolian, B. Ohtani, K. Sasaki and K. Sekar, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2023, 10, 1268 DOI: 10.1039/D3EN00038A

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